The Morning Edition Gina Rinehart, the disability pensioner and a fight over 12km of fencing
Feb 8, 2026
Lucy Macken, an investigative reporter who untangles complex local stories, digs into a bitter fencing fight involving Gina Rinehart and a neighbour on a disability pension. She maps the farms, traces a 2019 verbal fence deal and a $100,000 loan, and follows halted repairs, legal claims under the Dividing Fences Act and a courtroom showdown over 12 km of boundary fencing.
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Tiny Farm Surrounded By Vast Estate
- Lucy Macken describes Sundown Valley as a 42,000-hectare Wagyu operation surrounding Cathy Pope's 157-hectare Alawa property.
- The dispute centers on a 12-kilometre boundary where a small pocket of 630 hectares is enveloped by Gina Rinehart's land.
Stock Losses And Boundary Problems
- Cathy Pope claims she lost about 800 animals over the years due to a dilapidated boundary fence.
- Both sides report stock crossing the boundary, with goats and pigs digging under fences and disease concerns raised by Rinehart's team.
Verbal Deal Vs Legal Liability
- The core legal question is whether a verbal 2019 agreement existed about sharing fence costs and who is liable now.
- Cathy took a $100,000 Rural Assistance Authority loan to fund her share, while Rinehart's camp denies the claims.